Viewers slate Grease for being ‘problematic’ and ‘sexist’

Has Grease gone out of style?

Grease may be one of the most iconic films ever, but it has aged terribly. So much so that viewers have been slating the film after tuning into it recently.

Released in 1978, Grease was a box-office and commercial hit, launching the careers of John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John.

The classic musical follows the story of two 1950s teens, Danny and Sandy, who are reunited as high school seniors after a summer fling.

They attempt to rekindle their romance despite being from vastly different groups at school.

With Danny as the stereotypical bad boy, Sandy ends up changing her prim and proper appearance to look like Danny, whilst he changes his appearance to become more preppy like Sandy.

But on rewatching the movie, some have labelled Grease "problematic."

"Rewatching Grease for the first time in years and realizing how problematic it is," one person posted on X (formerly Twitter) recently.

Another wrote: "Sorry I loved Grease when I was a kid, however, it’s just too problematic these days."

In particular the lyric ‘Did she put up a fight?’ from the song Summer Nights has come under scrutiny, with some claiming it could be a reference to sexual abuse or rape.

Pointing this out, one person said: "Grease singing ‘Did she put up a fight?’ pretty much ruins the whole movie for me now aside from all the other problematic stuff."

The film is over 40 years old so there's no doubt it isn't as acceptable as it once was but it will always be a classic.

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